When I think about the Nobel Peace Prize, the names of the following recipients are foremost in my mind:
- Tenzin Gyatso
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Nelson Mandela
- Médecins Sans Frontières
I could suggest that few would argue the qualification of these people. Nevertheless, there are recipients that have been, and remain controversial, such as:
- Yasser Arafat
- Al Gore
- Barack Obama
Yasser Arafat shared the prize with Shimon Peres, but are the Palestinians, today, more well-off? Al Gore is known as an environmentalist, but has he changed anything (We may still play golf on Christmas Day)? And Barack Obama is, perhaps, the reason for ‘Trumpism’?
Now, the latest recipient is, the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos who, admittedly, has worked diligently for peace with the FARC. Nevertheless, Colombians have voted against the peace process. Thus, is it premature for the Peace Prize be awarded for less than ‘peace’?
It seems to me that the Nobel Foundation is, very much, a political organization. Your opinion will be considered valuable.
